Corsair Obsidian 550D - exterior
Corsair's first chassis was the Obsidian 800D which was received very well, and since then their selection chassis has grown exponentially. We have previously reviewed models from the Graphite and Carbide series, and now it's time for their Obsidian 550D. In terms of size and volume it is similar to the Silencio 650, but a little bigger. With external dimensions of 22 x 53 x 49.5 cm the volume is about 58 litres. It's a little lighter than the Cooler Master Silencio 650 with a weight of almost 9.5 kg.
The Obsidian 550D looks sharp and is constructed from several materials. The front has an aluminium door, with a cut-away for the frontal connectors. The door opens to the left and to the right, and can be taken off altogether. On either side there are openings for taking in air.
The frontal connectors look quite nice, but only consist of an audio jack and two USB 3.0 ports. The bare minimum, in other words.
A more unique feature are the removable plastic side panels and the top panel, that cover grilles with magnetic dust filters. Leaving the covers off improves the air flow and cooling performance. Such a panel is also present on the front behind the door, behind which you'll also find room for four externally accessible slots for 5.25-inch devices.
The back reveals eight expansion card slots, one more than is typical. There are four rubberised openings for water cooling. Under the top cover there are two buttons that unlock the side panels. Like the top panel, these are constructed in a composite of metal and plastic. The construction feels less plasticky than the Silencio 650. On the other hand, the removable covers don't fit 100 percent, particularly the left panel protrudes a little in our test model.
